MMA Members Form Committee to Focus On Mobile Video Advertising Guidance and Standards

The committee will work to establish definitions, best practices and standards for the use of mobile video in marketing

New York, NY, 16 October 2012 – The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), the leading global trade association for the mobile marketing industry, today announced, the launch of the MMA Mobile Video Committee. Anne Schelle, CEO of Acta Consulting and Executive Director of the Open Mobile Video Coalition, and Will Kassoy, CEO of AdColony, will lead the mission as co-chairs of the committee.

In the onset of increased smartphone adoption, as well as the surge of mobile video consumption and evidence of its effectiveness as a marketing tool, the MMA recognizes the need to progress the dialogue for the marketplace. The Mobile Video Committee will focus its efforts on developing guidelines and best practices for the use of mobile video advertising within traditional and digital marketing campaigns. Additionally, the group will research and review mobile video advertising practices that are currently in use across the various trade organizations, to identify and build on existing standards.

“Advertisers do not question the multi-billion dollar opportunity that mobile video offers but they are looking to the MMA to steward the dialogue and provide guidelines. As we identify standards, we can advance the mobile video platform and simplify the practice for marketers,” said Michael Becker, Managing Director, MMA North America. “Now is the time for leaders in the mobile video ad community to step forward and help simplify the transaction of business in this exploding field.”

Kassoy’s company, AdColony, already a leader in the mobile app marketplace and an increasingly dominant player in mobile video advertising across global brands, cited the exponential growth of video viewing on tablets and smartphones as a trend that is just getting started.

“More than half of tablet viewers watch video at least weekly,” Kassoy said, adding that the fast-growing devices are “primarily entertainment machines.” He added: “It is incumbent upon us who are working in this field to examine existing standards to find areas of improvement, and to develop a consistent language around mobile formats that can be leveraged by all players.”

Many mobile video experts are calling for action from marketers to integrate mobile video as a vehicle to connect with consumers, who are already deeply engaged with the channel. “From cars to clothes, and from health to the home, consumers are increasingly relying on their smartphones and tablets to guide purchases in a wide variety of product categories. Now is the time for advertisers to make a strong commitment to follow their customers as online behavior continues to migrate from PC to mobile,” said Tom Godfrey, Executive Director, Mobile Strategy, Frank N. Magid Associates. “According to our recent Mobile Content Study, 44% of US tablet owners say that tablet advertising has directly led them to buy a product or service in the last 30 days – and video advertising was among the most effective in driving action.”

As an initial step, the Mobile Video Committee has initiated a mobile video survey among MMA’s North American members to provide an overview of the mobile video ad landscape. Further efforts will identify gaps in existing mobile standards and support mobile video as a powerful marketing channel. The committee has established three task forces on Lexicon, Standards Gap Analysis and Technology Efficiencies.

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier global non-profit trade association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the use of the mobile channel. The more than 700 member companies, representing nearly fifty countries around the globe, include all members of the mobile media ecosystem. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and it has regional chapters including North America (NA), Europe (EUR), Latin American (LATAM) and Asia Pacific (APAC) branches. For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com. For information relating to the MMA’s Mobile Marketing Forum series, please visit www.mobilemarketingforum.com.

About

The MMA is the world’s leading global non-profit trade association comprised of more than 800 member companies, from nearly fifty countries around the world. MMA Member companies hail from every faction of the mobile media ecosystem. Our consortium includes brand marketers, agencies, enabling technologies, media companies and others. The MMA’s mission is to accelerate the transformation and innovation of marketing through mobile, driving business growth with closer and stronger consumer engagement.